Archive for September, 2014

Talk about friendly ghosts. These crisp-and-chewy concoctions with mini chocolate chip eyes are just begging to be devoured.

Makes 12 meringues

preparation 25 minutes

cooking 150 minutes

Ingredients

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

48 mini chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 225° F.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the sugar, then continue to beat until stiff peaks form, 5 to 8 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; place a small dab of meringue under each corner of the paper to anchor the paper to the tray.

Transfer the meringue to a piping bag or resealable plastic freezer bag (snip a ½-inch hole in the bag). Using a circular motion, pipe 2-inch high mounds of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Add the chocolate chips to make the eyes. Bake until firm and dry, 1½ hours to 2 hours. Cool completely on the baking sheets.

One of the easiest herbs you can grow, basil comes in many varieties that can be put to numerous culinary uses.

By Patricia Lehnhardt

Photo by Rachael BruggerChoosing what basil variety you want to grow from the 40-plus known varieties might be your biggest growing challenge when it comes to this staple herb.

Choosing from the array of basil varieties to plant might be the most difficult part of growing this herb. Basil has minimal growing requirements—full sun (at least six hours a day), warm temperatures (above 50 degrees F) night and day and fertile soil with adequate moisture—but there are more than 40 known varieties to choose from. Your local garden center likely offers a few basil varieties as seedlings, but to grow the most unusual basils, you’ll need to start from seed.

To help narrow your selection, determine how you will use the basil: to color in the landscape, as an ingredient in food or drinks, as a garnish, or to make a year’s supply of pesto. Below is a list of 10 basil varieties and their uses to help you make your decision.

1. Christmas Basil
With 2-inch, glossy green leaves and purple flowers, Christmas basil adds fruity flavor to salads and drinks, and the plants are gorgeous in the landscape. A beautiful border plant, it averages 16 to 20 inches tall.

2. Cinnamon Basil
This basil variety has a delightful fragrance and spicy flavor. A beautiful, 25- to 30-inch-tall plant with dark-purple stems and flowers accented with small, glossy leaves, it’s my favorite basil to use for fresh arrangements and in fruit salads and garnishes.

3. Dark Opal Basil
A must in my garden, Dark Opal basil adds color to fresh summer floral displays and depth to dried arrangements and wreaths. Beautiful and spicy in a salad or garnish, it can also be made into pesto, which adds an unexpected color and flavor to your pasta or bruschetta. The plants are attractive in the herb garden, ranging from 14 to 20 inches in height with purple stems, flower and leaves.

4. Holy Basil
A revered plant in the Hindu religion, Holy basil is also referred to as Sacred basil or Tulsi. Its leaves can be used to make tea for boosting your immune system. It is a beautiful plant in the garden with mottled green and purple leaves and grows to about 12 to 14 inches tall.

5. Lemon Basil
This basil variety can be added to salads and fish dishes with abandon. A sprig of Lemon basil in a glass of iced tea is particularly delightful on a hot summer day. The 20- to 24-inch plants are light green with white flowers and 2½-inch-long leaves.

6. Lime Basil
With small green leaves on compact, 12- to 16-inch plants with white flowers, this basil variety’s lime scent and flavor makes it great in fish and chicken dishes. A simple syrup infused with Lime basil is a delicious addition to tea and margaritas.

7. Spicy Bush Basil
The cutie of the basil garden, Spicy Bush basil has tiny leaves on small, mounded plants, which are perfect for pots or lining the garden in bonsai-like fashion. It only takes a few of Spicy Bush basil’s intensely flavored leaves to add a punch to a sauce or soup. The plants are a soft green and about 8 to 10 inches in height and width, with 1/2- to 1-inch-long leaves.

8. Purple Ruffles Basil
A feathery variation of Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles adds another dimension to the landscape, floral arrangements or garnishes. It has the same flavor as Opal basil and can be used similarly. It is a 16- to 20-inch-tall plant with 2- to 3-inch-long leaves.

9. Sweet Basil
This basil cultivar is the best choice for Italian sauces and soups and for making pesto. Varieties include Genovese, Napoletano, Italian Large Leaf and Lettuce Leaf. Plants range from 14 to 30 inches tall and are prolific in hot, sunny locations. Harvest the top four leaves often to keep the plant growing and sweetly flavored.

10. Sweet Thai Basil
An Asian variety with a distinct, spicy, anise-clove flavor, quite unlike common sweet basil, sweet Thai is a must-have addition to Asian cuisine and makes a nice addition to the herb garden for fragrance and color. It has purple stems and blooms with green leaves reaching 12 to 16 inches tall.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in basil and cheese. Combine milk and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat to 1-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter into 12 biscuits. Place biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool.

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You know that apple cider vinegar is a green cleaning dynamo, but what about the health uses for apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar – ACV for short – is some versatile stuff! You can use it to top salads or make pickles, then use it to clean the counters afterwards. Then, you can apply it to your skin and even drink the stuff for all sorts of health benefits. Really, is there anything that apple cider vinegar can’t do?

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Drink it? I know, drinking vinegar might sound…kind of gross. We’ll get more into the benefits and how to make it a little more palatable below. Just stay with me here, OK?

Proponents of ACV will tell you that the reason it’s great is that it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals. That is both true and not true. A cup of apple cider vinegar is rich in vitamins like potassium and manganese, but who is drinking a full cup of this stuff, right? Chances are you’re going to drink an ounce – about two tablespoons – tops at a go.

What ACV does have in spades is acetic acid, which helps your body better absorb vitamins and minerals in the food that you eat. That acetic acid also slows down digestive enzymes, regulating blood sugar levels, which can definitely contribute to overall better health.

Health Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is beneficial topically and when you ingest the stuff. The list below contains just a few of the health uses for apple cider vinegar. I’d love to hear how you’re using apple cider vinegar, too. Drop a comment with your ACV tips!

1. ACV Tea for a Sore Throat – Combine 1 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup hot water. You can add a sweetener of your choice if you have a hard time drinking this as-is.

2. A shot a day keeps the doctor away? You can take advantage of ACV’s health benefits with a daily vinegar shot. Research suggests that it can help prevent high cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, and improve heart health. Just put 2 tablespoons of ACV in a shot glass, and slug it. Chase with a little juice, if you need to wash away the strong vinegar flavor quickly. Even better: chase with a glass of water. I know this may sound crazy, but some folks – like me! – like the taste of straight vinegar, and over time you’ll get more used to it too. There’s even research showing that taking a shot of ACV before bed can help regulate your blood sugar levels.

5. Natural Heartburn Remedy – I know, swallowing something acidic sounds a little bit counter-intuitive when you’re trying to get rid of heartburn, but before you write off this idea, see what Reflux MD has to say about it.

8. Stop Leg Cramps in their Tracks – Scientists looked at how consuming vinegar affected muscle cramps, and their findings were dramatic! Though to be fair, pickle juice will do the same thing, but with all of its other health benefits, you may as well use ACV instead, right?

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen blueberries (you can use any fruit you choose and canned fruit minus the juice)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 large egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter

3 cup self-rising flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place butter in cast iron skillet and let it melt in the oven. (you can also do it in a 9 x 12 Pyrex dish if you do not have iron skillet)

3. Meanwhile, mix together flour, egg, sugars, milk, cinnamon and vanilla, the batter should be easy to pour. Pour batter into hot dish, over melted butter. Spoon berries (I use frozen blueberries harvested from our bushes earlier in the yea and frozen) all over batter until you have some in every area of the batter.

4. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool. Serve warm.

Note: using canned fruit or fresh not frozen minus juice will cut down baking time by about 15 minutes…each oven is wee bit different and when you put toothpick in middle comes clean and it is golden brown it is ready. I turn off and let sit in warm oven for 10 minutes after I turn off)